Gavin and Landon Smith are brothers who were born into the hunting fraternity with avid hunters on both sides of their lineage. Their grandfathers, Robert Smith and Dennis Harper, and father, Justin Smith, grew up hunting and have now passed on the tradition to the Smith brothers.

Eight-year-old Gavin Smith harvested his first deer while hunting with his Pawpaw Dink (Dennis Harper) in Lauderdale County opening weekend of the gun season. Gavin shot the buck with a Savage 6.5 Creedmoor caliber rifle.

Gavin traveled to Murdock Crossing in Itta Bena with family and friends to hunt during the Thanksgiving holidays also. That Wednesday, he went to the woods with his father, Justin Smith, and spent the afternoon searching for a rack buck. Gavin used a set of rattling horns most of the afternoon trying to get the attention of a mature buck, and he just wouldn’t give up.

“Gavin kept rattling those horns, and we finally spotted a rack buck heading our way,” Justin Smith said. “The buck was moving through the woods at a steady pace likely looking for a doe or fighting bucks. We stopped him after a couple of short grunt calls.”

Gavin took a deep breath and squeezed the trigger of the 6.5 Creedmoor.

“Tic-Boom!” roared the 6.5 Creedmoor, and the buck dropped in his tracks. That made the young hunter 2-for-2 after hunting with his grandfather and father on separate hunts.

Older brother Landon Smith, 12, killed his first buck, a nice 148-inch 11-point on Friday afternoon, Nov. 26, while hunting with his cousins McCraw and Benz Porter at the old Leflore County Country Club owned by their grandmother. His cousins had spotted a nice buck and wanted Landon to get a chance at him. Landon got in a stand with his cousin McCraw Porter and father, Justin Smith.

“Within minutes of reaching the old driving range stand about 20 does surrounded the stand,” Justin Smith said. “A few does worked their way over to a green patch about 70 yards away, and this caught the attention of a buck creeping along the tree line 200 yards away. We watched the buck for about 10 minutes scanning the area, then he made a dash to our field to check out the does. At 80 yards, the buck gave us a broadside shot, and Landon didn’t hesitate.”

Like a skilled hunter, Landon quickly centered the crosshairs, and on the buck’s engine room and slowly squeezed off a shot.

“Ka-Boom!” roared Landon’s 6.5 Creedmoor rifle, and the buck was dead before the sound of the shot dissipated.

Both of his cousins, McCraw Porter and Benz Porter, are skilled hunters, and their guiding services paid off for Landon Smith. They promised their cousin they would put him on a deer followed through on that promise. Giving up the No. 1 buck on their hit list so their cousin could have the story of a lifetime is commendable indeed.

Not too many hunters would be that generous, but that’s just the way this family is. If you know anything about the Smith family, they duck and deer hunt hard and have a large time doing it. If you are willing to put in the work and get out there with them, then you can experience some of the best hunting Mississippi has to offer.

One thing is for sure. Landon and Gavin Smith got their deer hunting careers off to a successful start thanks to their father and grandfathers on both sides of the family. Take a kid hunting as soon as you can, and you just might light a spark that lasts a lifetime. Carpe Diem!

Call Mike Giles at 601-917-3898 or email mikegiles18@comcast.net.